


Summoned to Tourney

by misura



Category: That Game We Played During the War - Carrie Vaughn
Genre: F/M, Future Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:35:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28212528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: The first ever Gaant-Enith chess tournament was very well-attended indeed.
Relationships: Calla Belan/Valk Larn
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5
Collections: Yuletide Madness 2020





	Summoned to Tourney

**Author's Note:**

  * For [teethandstars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/teethandstars/gifts).



The first ever Gaant-Enith chess tournament was very well-attended indeed. Calla noted a lot of serious faces - or no, she realized wryly, not _serious_. Neutral. Calm.

It seemed that after three years of peace, some of the Enithi had learned the same trick the Gaantish learned when they were children, or tried to, at any rate. Calla couldn't imagine simply deciding to stop feeling, like switching off the light or turning on a radio.

"Most of them only _think_ they are being quiet," Valk told her, "when in fact, they are being louder than some of the others."

Valk did not look at anyone in particular as he said this, or rather: he looked at Calla, because she was the one he was addressing. Even so, Calla knew exactly who he was referring to when he said 'the others'.

She and Valk had both chosen to wear their uniforms again, as well as their wedding rings. It was a simple but effective way of showing who they were. It was a way to show they had embraced the peace between their two countries.

It hadn't taken either of them long to realize that other people had come wearing their uniforms for rather different reasons. Not everyone agreed with the compromises that had been reached during the past years, in the wake of the peace treaty.

Valk squeezed her hand. "We finished our game, remember? The peace will hold." He sounded very confident.

"We finished a lot of games," Calla said, unable to suppress a smile.

Valk squeezed her hand again, probably by way of telling her she didn't need to suppress anything, that he quite liked her smiles. Going by the faces of some of the nearby Gaantish, Valk wasn't being very quiet about it either.

"So who do you think will win?" he asked out loud.

Calla considered the question, knowing as she did that she didn't even have to answer, because her thoughts would already have done so.

Ordinarily, in a chess tournament, experience counted for a lot. Most of the Enithi team consisted of people who'd started playing when they were children. They'd had to learn how to play against someone capable of reading their minds, but they still possessed a wealth of knowledge, the kind of insight Calla could only dream of. (Not that she regretted not becoming a professional chess player: she knew she was much happier having chess as a fun hobby.)

By contrast, no one on the Gaantish team had been playing for more than three years. Calla had dug up her collection of old game records, clipped and collected from old chess magazines. Reading those had helped the Gaantish players, even though Valk had also later told her that without Calla there, even he wouldn't have understood a tenth of what was happening in them.

Calla hadn't thought much about it at the time, only being happy that she had been able to help, to strike another blow for peace. But then one of her old teachers had contacted her, suggesting games between what she referred to as 'Calla's students' and her own. Not in person, but via mail, each move written on a postcard.

Telepathy wasn't much help when the person you were playing chess against was over a week's travel away, and probably no longer even thinking about the game at the moment you received their move.

Calla had felt grateful and impressed, and immediately told Valk the good news, though she knew he'd already heard it from her thoughts. The games had turned out even more of a success than she'd dared hope: both teams started with simple postcards, only containing their moves, but soon enough, people were also writing things about their lives, choosing postcards depicting places that were important to them. Sharing their stories with people from the other side.

_"I can't believe this is happening,"_ she'd told Valk.

He'd smiled at her and kissed her, and then he'd said, _"I can."_ Just that, nothing more, but she'd felt herself blush even so.

Valk squeezed her hand again, recalling her to the present, the tournament, and his question.

Who did she think would win?

The Emithi team had experience, training, years of study and playing games every day, week after week. Some of the best players of the country were here today.

The Gaantish team had enthusiasm, passion, months of intense preparation. They too were probably the best players of their country, but in Gaant's case, that wasn't saying much.

The Emithi team had Calla, even if she wasn't half as good as most of its other members: an amateur, someone who played for fun, to whom chess had always been an enjoyable hobby but nothing more.

The Gaantish team had Valk.

Who would win? Wasn't it obvious?

_Everyone._ Nobody lost preserving the peace between their countries.

"I'll remind you you said that tomorrow," Valk teased, though he forgot to change his expression.

He'd let go of her hand, so Calla grabbed his instead, knowing the physical contact would enhance his ability to read her thoughts. "That's all right. What shall we do with the rest of this evening?"

"Probably, it would be wise to get a good night's rest," Valk said. Two nearby Gaantish rolled their eyes, looking more amused than embarrassed or shocked, though Calla noted they did move to put a little more distance between themselves and Valk and Calla.

Valk had been outright horrified to learn that in Enith, people celebrated getting married by throwing a party for all their friends and family. In Gaant, weddings were private affairs, leaving the happy couple free to think of their wedding night and honeymoon without needing to worry about keeping quiet and not shocking innocent bystanders.

"A good night's rest would be very wise," Calla agreed. It was the truth, even if once they were alone in their hotel room, lying in their very big, very comfortable bed, they might change their mind, or at least decide that resting could wait ...


End file.
